Regional vegetable prices rise by 40% as rains flood more that 1m acres of farmland and affect lives of 5.7 million people Food prices are expected to rise steeply in China after flooding inundated more than 1 million acres of farmland in eastern provinces, killing at least 100 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Weeks of torrential rain in Zhejiang province in the Yangtze delta have caused nearly 6bn yuan (£575m) of damage, reducing vegetable production by 20% and pushing prices in the provincial capital of Hangzhou up by as much as 40%, Xinhua news agency said. The rains have forced almost 1,000 businesses to suspend operations and affected the lives of 5.7 million people, China’s official news agency said in a brief report. More than 7,000 homes had collapsed or were otherwise damaged. The rains are expected to continue for two days, stretching from the financial hub of Shanghai in the east to rural Yunnan in the far south-west. Farmers quoted by Xinhua reported shortages of fruit and grains. Prices for green vegetables were up 40%, the agency said, adding pressure to inflation already at a three-year high of 5.5%. Villagers on the outskirts of Zhuji in Zhejiang returned to their homes on Sunday as floodwaters receded. Two towns were inundated and thousands of people were evacuated after the breach of two dykes on Thursday. China has mobilised troops to rescue stricken farmers and distribute food, but some villagers said more could have been done to prevent the flooding. “When the flooding first started, the breach was not that huge. We could have easily fixed it,” said Shou Qiongdan, 22. “But the government did not do anything. None of the local officials tried to salvage the situation. That’s why we have such huge economic losses and so many people being affected by the flooding.” In neighbouring Jiangsu province, more than 20cm of rain fell on Suzhou city on Friday night, and the Yangtze river and its tributaries burst their banks, affecting up to 3 million people. China Flooding Natural disasters and extreme weather Food guardian.co.uk
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PC Simon Harwood to face charge of manslaughter over death of Ian Tomlinson at G20 demonstration in April 2009 The Scotland Yard officer accused of killing homeless newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests is to appear in court on Monday. PC Simon Harwood, from Carshalton, south London, will appear before City of Westminster magistrates court charged with manslaughter. Tomlinson, 47, collapsed and died on the fringes of the demonstrations in central London in April 2009, after being hit by a police baton and pushed. Harwood was charged over the death after Keir Starmer, QC, director of public prosecutions, reviewed an inquest jury’s verdict of unlawful killing. Starmer overturned an earlier decision not to prosecute anyone in relation to the death after the inquest heard new medical evidence and the opinion of experts leading him to conclude there was a “realistic prospect” of a successful prosecution of Harwood. Starmer said after the inquest: “The difficulties that would now confront any prosecution have changed in nature and scale from last year when a decision was taken not to prosecute, although it is clear that real difficulties remain.” Tomlinson’s death became the subject of intense controversy after New York businessman Christoper La Jaunie handed video footage taken during the protest to the Guardian. The inquest saw CCTV images, police helicopter footage and hand-held video recordings showing Tomlinson staggering away from a police cordon after being hit by a baton. He is seen gesturing to police and appearing angry after being sent tumbling to the ground. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, said the case was “clearly a very, very serious matter for all concerned”. He added: “I have got to be very, very concerned at an inquest verdict that returns a verdict of unlawful killing involving, as the inquest did, one of my police officers. My sympathies continue to be with the Tomlinson family.” Ian Tomlinson Police London Sir Paul Stephenson Keir Starmer G20 Caroline Davies guardian.co.uk
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Carvings in Mongolia, Buddhist sites in Japan and modernist architecture of Le Corbusier among 42 nominations to join list Ancient German beech forests, rock carvings in Mongolia, Buddhist sites in Japan and the architectural works of the modernist genius Le Corbusier are among the nominations before Unesco this week as it debates which of the world’s cultural treasures to elevate to its world heritage list . The 35th session of the world heritage committee will meet in Paris to discuss 42 nominations for the list, which for almost 40 years has aimed to define and cherish places of universal significance. It will not be a serene process of looking at images of awe-inspiring ancient monuments and ravishing landscapes. Although joining the list brings no money nor even statutory protection, countries among the wealthiest and poorest on Earth are keen to be included, and the debates are often passionate. Six countries are likely to have sites accepted for the first time: Congo, which has jointly nominated the Sangha forests with its African neighbours; Barbados, for the Bridgetown garrison; Jamaica, for the Blue and John Crow mountain ranges; Micronesia and Palau, which have jointly nominated the sites of the massive Yap stone money discs; and the United Arab Emirates, for the oases of Al Ain. The list already covers more than 900 castles, walled towns, derelict ironworks, ravines, bays and rainforests. Before deciding which places should be added, the committee must consider the knottier problem of dozens of places now in such trouble they risk being moved to the separate list of sites threatened by development, earthquakes, climate change or the shifting tides of international politics. There has been concern for years over sites in Iran – although it was the devastating earthquake, not war, that brought the ancient city of Bam on to the endangered list – as well as Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen. The conference itself has been affected by the aftermath of the Arab spring: it was originally due to be held in Bahrain, which has nominated its island pearl fishing tradition to join the list, but the political instability caused it to be moved to Unesco’s Paris headquarters. Even nominating a site can be a political act. Jerusalem’s Old City and city walls have been officially regarded as under threat for almost 20 years, since Jordan proposed they be moved to the endangered list. Bethlehem, one of the most famous places in the world, will not be among those considered this year. Unesco rejected the nomination from the Palestinian authorities because Palestine is not recognised as a state. Another site missing from the debate will be the home in Kent and the surrounding countryside where Charles Darwin wrote On The Origin of Species. Despite being turned down twice, the British government still hopes the property will join the list eventually – but it won’t be this year. Heritage Maev Kennedy guardian.co.uk
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Nato says it is investigating after at least four people, including two children, reported killed in Tripoli The Libyan government has accused Nato of bombing a residential neighbourhood in the capital and killing civilians. At least four people, including two children, were reported killed. It was not possible to independently verify the government’s account, and Nato said it was investigating. The alliance has repeatedly said it tries to avoid killing civilians. Shortly after the air strikes before dawn on Sunday, government officials rushed journalists to the destroyed building, which appeared to have been partly under construction. Reporters were escorted back to the site during the day, where children’s toys, teacups and dust-covered mattresses could be seen amid the rubble. A government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said there were no military facilities anywhere near the damaged building. Journalists were shown at least four people said to have been killed in the strike, including the two children. Salem Ali Garadi, 51, said his brother and sister were among the victims, and claimed five people had been killed. The deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said: “There was intentional and deliberate targeting of the civilian houses. This is another sign of the brutality of the west.” Libya’s health ministry has said 856 civilians have been killed in Nato air strikes since they began in March. The figure could not be independently confirmed. Previous government tolls from individual strikes have proved to be exaggerated. Nato wing commander Mike Bracken said the alliance was looking into the latest reports. “Nato confirms that it was operating in Tripoli last night, conducting air strikes against a legitimate military target. Nato deeply regrets any civilian loss of life during this operation and would be very sorry if the review of this incident concluded it to be a Nato weapon,” he said. A Nato mission spokesman in Naples, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Gaddafi regime had made false claims in the past about Nato having caused civilian deaths. The alliance appeared to strike Tripoli again on Sunday afternoon. A number of explosions could be heard in the city, and smoke could be seen rising over the southern part of the capital. Nato warplanes have stepped up their campaign over the past week, and fighting has intensified between rebels and government troops outside the port city of Misrata, the main rebel stronghold in western Libya. The eastern third of the country is under rebel control from their de facto capital, Benghazi. On Sunday, Gaddafi’s forces unleashed a heavy barrage of Grad rockets and mortars on the rebel frontlines in Dafniya, about 15 miles west of Misrata. Muthana Issa, an official at Misrata’s Hikma hospital, said four people had been killed and 16 wounded in the early hours of the bombardment. Libya Nato guardian.co.uk
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Calls for dispensers to be bolted down after alcoholic patient in Melbourne downed six bottles of alcohol-based handwash A man who is recovering after drinking six bottles of alcohol-based handwash while being treated for alcoholism in an Australian hospital has sparked calls for the anti-bacterial gels to be better secured. The 45-year-old patient was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.271%, more than five times above the legal driving limit. Doctors said the incident highlighted the need for hospitals to bolt the dispensers to walls. Dr Michael Oldmeadow, of the Alfred hospital in Melbourne, said the incident was not the first of its kind. “You’d think it would taste pretty bad,” he said. Australia guardian.co.uk
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Calls for dispensers to be bolted down after alcoholic patient in Melbourne downed six bottles of alcohol-based handwash A man who is recovering after drinking six bottles of alcohol-based handwash while being treated for alcoholism in an Australian hospital has sparked calls for the anti-bacterial gels to be better secured. The 45-year-old patient was found to have a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.271%, more than five times above the legal driving limit. Doctors said the incident highlighted the need for hospitals to bolt the dispensers to walls. Dr Michael Oldmeadow, of the Alfred hospital in Melbourne, said the incident was not the first of its kind. “You’d think it would taste pretty bad,” he said. Australia guardian.co.uk
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VisitBritain to launch worldwide advertising push starring big British names to promote the UK as the place to be in 2012 With a clutch of global stars in harness and £100m to spend on marketing, tourism bosses are hoping that they can revive the Cool Britannia vibe in time for the Olympics and the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012. A TV commercial which aims to dispel Britain’s stuffy reputation abroad and promote a more contemporary image is to be broadcast around the world. Developed by advertising agency M&C Saatchi, the “You’re Invited” campaign features actors Dame Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Rupert Everett raving about their own personal favourite UK destinations. Jamie Oliver and Twiggy will also feature in the push, aimed at raising visitor numbers by four million a year. Patel, star of Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, woos potential travellers by promoting the “buzz” and “energy” of London’s Leicester Square, while Everett waxes lyrical about the “rickshaws, queens and bikers” of night time Soho. Twiggy, who was filmed on location on the Millennium bridge in London, promotes Britain’s “amazing stable of designers” and chef Oliver, who has been trying to break the US in the last year, talks up the UK’s “magpie culture” of “taking the world’s best bits”. Extolling the UK’s more traditional image of stately homes and rolling countryside, Dench chose to be filmed at Hever Castle in Kent, the ancestral home of Anne Boleyn, where the actor often walks her dog. Reclining on an antique sofa upholstered in union flag fabric, Dench, 76, says: “Our great bonus is that we have Shakespeare, whose plays we’ve been performing for over 400 years. “Thank goodness. He used to be known in our family as the man who paid the rent.” Attempting to capitalise on favourable exchange rates and the royal wedding, which was watched by a global audience of two billion, VisitBritain hopes to capture a “national mood of celebration” surrounding the diamond jubilee and the Games. Much of the campaign is expected to be targeted at the highly profitable US market. According to VisitBritain, last year American visitors spent £2.1bn in the UK. However numbers are still down from pre-9/11 levels. In 2010 there were just under 2.7m visits to the UK by US residents, down from a peak of 4.1m in 2000. VisitBritain’s £50m budget was cut by 34% in the government’s spending review, but it also receives funding from private firms such as British Airways, lastminute.com and hotel chain Radisson Edwardian. Royal wedding The Queen Monarchy London Olympic Games 2012 Advertising Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …VisitBritain to launch worldwide advertising push starring big British names to promote the UK as the place to be in 2012 With a clutch of global stars in harness and £100m to spend on marketing, tourism bosses are hoping that they can revive the Cool Britannia vibe in time for the Olympics and the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012. A TV commercial which aims to dispel Britain’s stuffy reputation abroad and promote a more contemporary image is to be broadcast around the world. Developed by advertising agency M&C Saatchi, the “You’re Invited” campaign features actors Dame Judi Dench, Dev Patel and Rupert Everett raving about their own personal favourite UK destinations. Jamie Oliver and Twiggy will also feature in the push, aimed at raising visitor numbers by four million a year. Patel, star of Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, woos potential travellers by promoting the “buzz” and “energy” of London’s Leicester Square, while Everett waxes lyrical about the “rickshaws, queens and bikers” of night time Soho. Twiggy, who was filmed on location on the Millennium bridge in London, promotes Britain’s “amazing stable of designers” and chef Oliver, who has been trying to break the US in the last year, talks up the UK’s “magpie culture” of “taking the world’s best bits”. Extolling the UK’s more traditional image of stately homes and rolling countryside, Dench chose to be filmed at Hever Castle in Kent, the ancestral home of Anne Boleyn, where the actor often walks her dog. Reclining on an antique sofa upholstered in union flag fabric, Dench, 76, says: “Our great bonus is that we have Shakespeare, whose plays we’ve been performing for over 400 years. “Thank goodness. He used to be known in our family as the man who paid the rent.” Attempting to capitalise on favourable exchange rates and the royal wedding, which was watched by a global audience of two billion, VisitBritain hopes to capture a “national mood of celebration” surrounding the diamond jubilee and the Games. Much of the campaign is expected to be targeted at the highly profitable US market. According to VisitBritain, last year American visitors spent £2.1bn in the UK. However numbers are still down from pre-9/11 levels. In 2010 there were just under 2.7m visits to the UK by US residents, down from a peak of 4.1m in 2000. VisitBritain’s £50m budget was cut by 34% in the government’s spending review, but it also receives funding from private firms such as British Airways, lastminute.com and hotel chain Radisson Edwardian. Royal wedding The Queen Monarchy London Olympic Games 2012 Advertising Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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Mass walkouts over public sector pensions reform will allow chancellor to blame weak recovery on them, warns Balls Ed Balls has warned trade unions not to fall into George Osborne’s “trap” by striking over plans to reform public sector pensions. The chancellor was hoping for the unions to embark on industrial action , Balls said, so that he could blame any weak economic recovery on mass walkouts. The government and unions have been at loggerheads since unions felt ministers pre-empted negotiations by going public towards the end of last week with plans to extend the retirement age and increase pension contributions for millions of public sector workers. On Sunday, Unison leader Dave Prentis, whose union represents 1.4 million state employees, said the government had “scuppered” the talks by appearing unwilling to compromise. Prentis and other union leaders had threatened the biggest wave of industrial action since the general strike of 1926 after the chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, made the announcement on Friday. The Treasury later said that Alexander was articulating proposals for reform, not settled government policy, but Prentis said that Alexander’s speech had effectively rendered the talks meaningless. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show , Balls said the government was deliberately “picking a fight” with the unions. “This is not a political decision from the unions, this is actually their members feeling very upset. George Osborne is desperate to have that confrontation – he’s been saying it for months. The trade unions must not walk into the trap of giving George Osborne the confrontation he wants to divert attention from a failing economy. “That’s why it’s so frustrating to see suddenly the Treasury breaking out of the negotiations and seeming to say, ‘We’ve made decisions.’” Three unions are due to strike on 30 June, but the Association of Teachers and Lecturers has said it will call off the walkout if the government is willing to discuss the level of increases to pension contributions. Mark Serwotka of the Public and Commercial Services Union , which represents almost 300,000 civil servants, told the BBC it was very unlikely that the walkout would be called off. Responding to Balls’s warning of a “trap”, Serwotka said: “The problem with what Ed is saying is this: if he’s me, representing people, many of whom are on £15,000 per year – they work hard, they’re on poverty pay, they don’t look forward to a very big pension. If all of that’s being taken away and you work longer, pay more and get less, what frankly are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to sit back, say it’s unfair and do nothing?” Prentis, whose union represents people working for local authorities, the NHS, colleges and the police, said he had not yet balloted his members on action but would if they continued “to be treated with disdain”. “If we go back into negotiations on the basis of dialogue but no changes in the proposals, what’s the point in that?” he told the BBC. “If we can get an assurance that the talks are meaningful … then obviously we’d continue the talks, but we didn’t get that impression on Friday.” “And it will be the biggest action since 1926 because up to 10 million people will be involved.” Responding to the same suggestion by Balls, Prentis said striking methods would be “smarter”. He told Sky’s Murnaghan programme, “It won’t be like the miners’ dispute where we will be starved back into submission. This will be a lot smarter than that – this will be about regional action, branch action, this will be sustained action. Because I believe that this government will not turn after one or two days, and our members have got to be prepared for that, and I believe that they are.” Alexander said the government was “absolutely not” trying to provoke a battle with unions. “There is a huge amount of room for dialogue,” he told Sky News. “There is a huge amount of detail about public sector pensions that we’ve been discussing in the talks … and we need to take that forward over the coming months.” He insisted the talks could still be constructive, adding: “I don’t think my message is uncompromising at all.” John Cridland, director of employers’ group the CBI, dismissed the impact that public sector union strikes could have on the economy. He said: “Today the most they can do is disrupt people’s lives – it probably won’t disrupt the economy.” Public sector pensions Ed Balls Public sector pay Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance George Osborne Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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Mass walkouts over public sector pensions reform will allow chancellor to blame weak recovery on them, warns Balls Ed Balls has warned trade unions not to fall into George Osborne’s “trap” by striking over plans to reform public sector pensions. The chancellor was hoping for the unions to embark on industrial action , Balls said, so that he could blame any weak economic recovery on mass walkouts. The government and unions have been at loggerheads since unions felt ministers pre-empted negotiations by going public towards the end of last week with plans to extend the retirement age and increase pension contributions for millions of public sector workers. On Sunday, Unison leader Dave Prentis, whose union represents 1.4 million state employees, said the government had “scuppered” the talks by appearing unwilling to compromise. Prentis and other union leaders had threatened the biggest wave of industrial action since the general strike of 1926 after the chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, made the announcement on Friday. The Treasury later said that Alexander was articulating proposals for reform, not settled government policy, but Prentis said that Alexander’s speech had effectively rendered the talks meaningless. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show , Balls said the government was deliberately “picking a fight” with the unions. “This is not a political decision from the unions, this is actually their members feeling very upset. George Osborne is desperate to have that confrontation – he’s been saying it for months. The trade unions must not walk into the trap of giving George Osborne the confrontation he wants to divert attention from a failing economy. “That’s why it’s so frustrating to see suddenly the Treasury breaking out of the negotiations and seeming to say, ‘We’ve made decisions.’” Three unions are due to strike on 30 June, but the Association of Teachers and Lecturers has said it will call off the walkout if the government is willing to discuss the level of increases to pension contributions. Mark Serwotka of the Public and Commercial Services Union , which represents almost 300,000 civil servants, told the BBC it was very unlikely that the walkout would be called off. Responding to Balls’s warning of a “trap”, Serwotka said: “The problem with what Ed is saying is this: if he’s me, representing people, many of whom are on £15,000 per year – they work hard, they’re on poverty pay, they don’t look forward to a very big pension. If all of that’s being taken away and you work longer, pay more and get less, what frankly are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to sit back, say it’s unfair and do nothing?” Prentis, whose union represents people working for local authorities, the NHS, colleges and the police, said he had not yet balloted his members on action but would if they continued “to be treated with disdain”. “If we go back into negotiations on the basis of dialogue but no changes in the proposals, what’s the point in that?” he told the BBC. “If we can get an assurance that the talks are meaningful … then obviously we’d continue the talks, but we didn’t get that impression on Friday.” “And it will be the biggest action since 1926 because up to 10 million people will be involved.” Responding to the same suggestion by Balls, Prentis said striking methods would be “smarter”. He told Sky’s Murnaghan programme, “It won’t be like the miners’ dispute where we will be starved back into submission. This will be a lot smarter than that – this will be about regional action, branch action, this will be sustained action. Because I believe that this government will not turn after one or two days, and our members have got to be prepared for that, and I believe that they are.” Alexander said the government was “absolutely not” trying to provoke a battle with unions. “There is a huge amount of room for dialogue,” he told Sky News. “There is a huge amount of detail about public sector pensions that we’ve been discussing in the talks … and we need to take that forward over the coming months.” He insisted the talks could still be constructive, adding: “I don’t think my message is uncompromising at all.” John Cridland, director of employers’ group the CBI, dismissed the impact that public sector union strikes could have on the economy. He said: “Today the most they can do is disrupt people’s lives – it probably won’t disrupt the economy.” Public sector pensions Ed Balls Public sector pay Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance George Osborne Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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